CLICS/CLICS2022A/commsumm.nsf
PUBLIC
BILL SUMMARY For AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND ECONOMIC RESILIENCY IN AGRICULTURE
INTERIM COMMITTEE WATER RESOURCES AND AGRICULTURE REVIEW COMMITTEE
Date Aug 4, 2022
Location Old State Library
Aging Infrastructure and Economic Resiliency in Agriculture - Committee Discussion Only
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12:04:11 PM |
Lauren Ris, Colorado Water Conservation
Board (CWCB), introduced the presentation. She spoke about the lack of
a funding stream to the basin roundtables for water projects, which has
made planning difficult. She discussed the changes that were made in the
past with Senate Bill 09-106 and Senate Bill 21-218, which created a Severance
Tax Trust Fund allocation. She told the committee about the need for a
statewide matching fund for aging infrastructure and drought resilience.
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12:09:59 PM |
Ms. Ris discussed past funding and how money would become available. She answered a question about what types of projects could be funded with additional money.
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12:12:47 PM |
Ms. Ris spoke about the different Water Plan grant projects and the next steps they are taking.
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12:14:15 PM |
Kathleen Curry, Gunnison Basin Roundtable, discussed the Water Supply Reserve Fund. She told the committee about how it was created and why.
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12:16:18 PM |
Ms. Curry spoke about the current needs to help with aging infrastructure.
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12:20:16 PM |
Les Owen, Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), introduced his presentation. He spoke about irrigation needs and water delivery infrastructure needs.
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12:21:51 PM |
Mr. Owen spoke about the current programs in CDA and the need for technical assistance across the state.
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12:23:00 PM |
The panelists responded
to questions about the funding and the project needs in terms of workforce
and material availability. Ms. Curry spoke about the permitting process
and the challenges of not having the capacity to build the projects that
could be funded.
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12:28:57 PM |
Ms. Ris answered a question about water storage.
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12:31:55 PM |
Committee members asked questions about how the basin roundtables distributes money and how the money is used.
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12:42:16 PM |
Ms. Ris answered questions about water rights and how the grants are distributed.
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12:42:48 PM |
Ms. Curry spoke about the grant criteria and the constraints that currently exist in state statute.
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12:45:34 PM |
The committee made comments about the limits on severance tax funding and asked about planning for future funding streams. Ms. Ris talked about other potential sources of funding.
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12:47:54 PM |
The committee took a break for lunch.
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01:17:31 PM |
The committee reconvenved.
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